1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to shoes, specifically to an improved securement, concealment and fastening device for shoes with laces.
2. Description for Prior Art
Originally laces on shoes were designed to tie leaving laces to hang. This greatly increased the possibility for snagging on foreign objects and tripping. This problem has been partially solved by the implementation of lace securing devices, but these had and still have significant problems for the highly active foot activities (for example bicycling, baseball, football, basketball, and running).
Thereafter, inventors created several types of shoelace devices to secure laces tight and/or conceal laces. U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,321 (1989), U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,787 (1989), U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,246 (2001) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,483 (1999) disclose similar ways to help aid in keeping laces fastened while tied. These patents use a device that when the laces are tied in a traditional way is to be secured at the knot leaving lace loops to hang. These devices while successfully aid in the fastening of laces still do not offer security or concealment, which is important to today's increased level of sports activity.
Thus, if the shoelaces are fastened with the above listed patents (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,884,321, 4,879,787, 6,260,246, and 5,913,483) they would leave laces free to dangle, which will greatly increase the possibility of snagging or catching on objects. Also, having the device secured at the knot it cannot be easily retied in the quick fashion needed for a fast paced sporting environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,573 (1992) discloses that it provides securement, fastening and concealment by an open material that is to be folded together and attached to make a tight pouch. This device takes too much time to close into a neat pouch when the need for retying occurs. Also, the pouch only secures to the shoe by the laces passing through the opening in the device and then being tied, leaving the pouch free for movement. This device is left to move about on the shoe, which in high foot activity comprises comfort. Also, if the above device is used the problem of retying occur as with the patents U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,884,321, 4,879,787, 6,260,246 and 5,913,483.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,500 (1998) discloses ways to secure, fasten and conceal laces by using a flexible material covered by hook elements on one half and loop elements on the other half. After tying the shoelaces, the sides are brought together to consume the laces with the hook and loop elements. To retighten the laces the top half of the hook and loop device is to be lifted from the opposite side, causing pulling of the laces and possible untying, making retightening difficult and inefficient in the sports environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,111 (1999) discloses a folding material with hook and loop elements around the perimeter that when closed makes a tight and flat device. Also being a flat device this patent needs to be attached by two openings on the bottom of the device laced at separate sections of the shoe. This causes a problem in sporting footwear in two important areas, a) because the device is flat it makes it difficult to be used on mid-top, ¾ and high-top shoes, due to the bend of the shoe at the top ankle. The flat device has to cover a larger area to accommodate the laces. This being a high stress area will cause hook and loop elements to wear rapidly. B) The above patents needs to be attached in two separate locations making it impossible to quickly attach and remove.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,682 (1988) discloses a removable lace cover strap that wraps from where laces are located, around the arch of the shoe, and then back to the lace tying location. Although achieving security, fastening and concealment, this device is too bulky and covers part of the soul of the shoe, comprising the design of the shoe for traction.